ABIOTIC AND BIOTIC DEGRADATION OF REACTIVE BLENDS OF POLYLACTIC ACID-THERMOPLASTIC CASSAVA STARCH REINFORCED WITH GRAPHENE NANOPLATELETS

ANIBAL BHER; ILKE UYSALUNALAN; RAFAEL AURAS; MARIA RUBINO; CARLOS E. SCHVEZOV

S. C. de Bariloche

Congreso; 18º Congreso Internacional de Metalurgia y Materiales. SAM-CONAMET 2018.; 2018

SAM

Films of PLA, thermoplastic cassava starch (TPCS), and graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) were evaluated for abiotic and biotic degradation under simulated composting conditions at 58 ºC, 50% of relative humidity (RH), and 120 days in compost. The evolved CO2, mineralization, and molecular number (Mn) were measured. A reduction of Mn was observed for PLA, indicating abiotic degradation. A priming effect was observed for PLA-TPCS, associated with the overproduction of CO2. A significant degradation rate was observed for TPCS phase. GNP at 1% produced a reduction in the lag phase of PLA and PLA-g-TPCS